The front door flew open. Micha was crying as she entered and slammed the door closed. Her work uniform was in disarray. She dropped her purse as she ran for her bedroom.

In her room, she sat with her back against the door, holding it closed. Hugging her knees close, tears ran down her face.

There was a soft tapping on the door. Ali's muffled voice asked, "Micha? What happened?"

"Go away. I wanna be alone. Don' wanna talk."

"Micha, please, I want to help. I can feel that you're in pain. I felt it in my study, through the portal. Please, tell me what happened."

"NO! Just go away. Go. A. Way."

Ali sat cross-legged on the other side of the door. Her voice was soft. "I ain't goin' anywhere, sugah. I'll be here when ya need me."

—«—»—

Still pressed against the door, Micha was crying into her knees. She could still feel Keltam's hands under her shirt, on her breasts. In the middle of the sales floor. The laughter.

She screamed. She wanted it to end. She thought about sharp things. The hands kept breaking through.

—«—»—

Hearing the scream, Ali jumped to her feet and banged on the door. "MICHA!" She tried to shove the door open only to find Micha unmoving against it. "Micha! Please, I need you to move."

Micha had slumped into a foetal position. She felt phantom hands on her, trying to slide under her bra. She heard only the laughter on the sales floor. She screamed again and again for it to stop, but it wouldn't.

Ali was beside herself—then the thought hit her: teleport. She let something innate click in her mind. She saw a flash of amber and was suddenly inside Micha's bedroom. Sitting on the floor, she gathered the wailing woman into her arms and started to hum. Something soft, soothing, calming.

Time crawled by as Micha started to calm down. She heard the humming, felt Ali's fur on her arms and cheek.

—«—»—

"Ali?" Micha's voice was raw and cracked. "How?"

Ali smiled gently. "Seems fox-spirits have a knack for teleporting." Still holding her, Ali looked down at her with concern. "Sister, do you feel able to tell me what happened?"

Micha buried her face in Ali's chest. "No! I don't… I want it t' go away."

"Shh… It's ok, sugah, you're safe. You're home, in your den." She gently rocked the traumatized woman. "No one is gonna hurt ya. I won't let them."

Micha could feel the weight of Ali's words. She felt a boundary form—this was safety. She curled tighter into the fox-woman's embrace.

Ali quietly resumed humming and gently rocking, letting Micha rest and gather herself and her strength.

—«—»—

The hours passed quietly. It was early evening when Molly arrived home. "Hey, I'm back…" Her voice trailed off when she spotted Micha's purse abandoned on the floor. Fear rose along her spine as she quickly closed and locked the door. Throwing her own purse onto the couch, she almost ran down the hall to check Micha's room. She stopped dead at the closed bedroom door. "Oh no, no, nonono…" Gently, she pushed the door open and almost collapsed seeing Ali cradling Micha. "Bright Lady, what happened?"

Ali shook her head slightly as Micha stirred. "Mol… Sis, is that you?"

Molly crouched, lightly touching her sister's shoulder. "I'm right here."

Micha rolled out of Ali's lap. "I… I…" She sniffed, makeup in ruins.

"Shh-shh-shh. It's ok. You're home. We're all here."

Micha nodded silently.

"Now, you wanna tell your big sis what happened?"

Micha shook her head violently. "I don' wanna talk 'bout it… Hurts."

Ali's voice was quiet, respectful. "Micha, if you'll allow me, I can weave a small spell that'll let Molly an' I touch your mind so we can see. Your choice, your control. We want to help you."

Micha looked at Ali. "Promise you'll stop if I tell you?"

"My word and promise to family."

Micha thought a moment then nodded. "OK."

—«—»—

From Ali's fingertips drifted wisps of forest green energy. With them came the scent of pine, cherry blossoms, and the soft buzz of cicadas. Both Molly and Micha felt something brush their minds.

Molly, we're going to be seein' things from Micha's perspective. Micha, you're in charge. You don't need to be with us, and you can stop us at any time.

Alright, love.

Thank you, Ali. There was an ebb as Micha's consciousness pulled back.

—«—»—

They watched as Micha worked with a customer on the sales floor. The customer was buying lumber for a deck. She filled in the paperwork, taking notes and offering the occasional suggestion. With the order in hand, she turned toward purchasing, but something felt off. A light, unexpected pressure settled on her hips. She felt it slide up her sides. As she started to look back, hands brushed across her chest.

Keltam's voice registered, but garbled. They realized it was Micha's mind protecting itself. The tone was still brittle, sharp, cutting. There is a feeling of more to come. Ali caught the face of a man recording with a phone.

Molly was fuming. She was trying to damp down the hurt she was feeling from her sister.

Ali folded the spell to draw it to a close. We see Micha. No more is needed. The mind touch faded and Molly and Ali woke in Micha's room. Micha lay on her bed, tension lining her face.

Ali knelt beside her. "Sugah, I'm gonna cast a sleep spell. Soft, quiet, calming sleep. Are you ok with that?"

Micha nodded. "Yeah. Th-thank you."

"安らかにお眠りください、姉さん。雲は柔らかく、そよ風は穏やか。

"心配も恐れもなし。

"安らかに、そして完全にお休みください。"

(Spell in Japanese:

Sleep, sister. Clouds soft and breeze calming.

No worries. No fears.

Rest peacefully and fully.)